10:25 PM,
Feb. 11, 2013

Nick Ratajczak

Written by

Tim Sullivan

When the ball struck Nick Ratajczak's right elbow last spring, the sound resonated throughout the stadium and the tingling sensation reminded him of sticking his hand in an electric socket.

Though his father feared the elbow had been broken, the University of Louisville's supremely scrappy second baseman had taken the precaution of wearing a protective pad on the hinge of his throwing arm.

His pain would pass, but not without being noticed, applauded and prized. Nowhere in college baseball does a player getting plunked carry more cachet than it does at U of L. Nowhere is taking one for the ...